Behavioral Approach to Management

Behavioral Approach to Management

The behavioral management theory had a profound influence on management by focusing on understanding the human dimensions of work. It is also called human relations movement as behavioral theorists focused on managing productivity by understanding factors of worker motivation like their needs and expectations, personality, attitudes, values, group behavior, conflict, and group dynamics. It advocated the use of psychological techniques to motivate employees.

The behavioral school of management emphasized what the classical theorists ignored which is the human element of the workplace. While classical theorists only viewed the organization from a production perspective, the behavioral theorists also focused their study on an individual’s attitudes, behaviors, and group dynamics in the workplace culture.

Hawthorne Studies

The behavioral approach emerged primarily as an outcome of the Hawthrone studies. Many Parke Follet, Elton Mayo, and his associates, Abraham Maslow, Douglas MCgradgor, and Chris Angyris were the major contributors to this school. As part of these studies, the researchers concluded that the workers worked harder because they thought that they were being monitored individually.

This study established the behavioral change that happened due to an awareness of being observed, resulting in active compliance with the supposed wishes of researchers, because of special attention received, or positive response to the stimulus being introduced.

Elton Mayo's experiments showed an increase in worker productivity was produced by the psychological stimulus of being singled out, involved, and made to feel important. Researchers hypothesized that choosing one's own coworkers, working as a group, being treated as special, and having a sympathetic supervisor were the real reasons for the productivity increase.

One interpretation was that "the six individuals became a team and the team gave itself wholeheartedly and spontaneously to cooperation in the experiment. Hawthorne Effect can be summarized as “Employees will respond positively to any novel change in a work environment like better illumination, clean work stations, relocating workstations, etc. Employees are more productive because they know they are being studied.

These findings made Mayo and Roethlisberger conclude that a leader has not only to plan, decide, organize, lead, and control but also consider the human element. This includes the social needs of being together and being recognized for the work interaction of the group members with each other and their wellbeing. A good leader ought to keep the above aspects in his style of working with people and supervising their work.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham H Maslow (1908-1970), the psychologist, theorized that people were motivated by a hierarchy of needs. Maslow (1943) focused on human needs. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory that explains that people are motivated by five basic categories of human needs. These needs are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

His theory rested on three assumptions:

  • All of us have needs which are never completely fulfilled
  • Through our acts, we try to fulfill our unsatisfied needs
  • Human needs occur in the following hierarchical manner:
  • Physiological needs;
  • Safety or security needs,
  • Belonging needs or self-fulfillment needs

According to Maslow, once needs at a specific level have been satisfied, they no longer act as motivators of behaviors. Then the individual strives to fulfill needs at the next level. Managers who accepted Maslow's hierarchy of needs attempted to change their management practices so that employees' needs could be satisfied.

This theory established the principle that a leader's behaviors can be conditioned in a manner that one can have a specific response to specific stimuli. The behavioral theory promotes the value of leadership styles with an emphasis on concern for people and collaboration. It promotes participative decision making and team development by supporting individual needs and aligning individual and group objectives.

It helps managers evaluate and understand how their behavioral style as a manager affects their relationship with the team and promotes commitment and contribution towards organizational goals. This theory helps managers find the right balance between different styles of leadership, and helps them decide how to behave as a leader, depending on concerns for people and for productivity.

Related Links

Creation Date Thursday, 14 February 2013 Hits 40004

You May Also Like

  • Principles of Management

    Principles of Management

    Principles of management are fundamental concepts and advisory guidelines for managerial decision making. By using management principles, managers can more easily achieve the objectives and avoid making mistakes in their activities. Management principles can be applied to any kind of organization and to managers at all organizational levels. 

  • Process & Stages of Creativity

    Process & Stages of Creativity

    Creative ideas do not come just like that. There is a process to it. There are a number of techniques of creativity to support the generation of ideas but the widely practiced ones are brainstorming and lateral thinking. Most innovations are not so much the product of sudden insights as they are the result of a conscious process that often goes through multiple stages. The creative process can be divided into four stages of preparation, incubation, evaluation, and implementation.

  • Management Theories

    Management Theories

    Management theories are the recommended management strategies that enable us to better understand and approach management. Many management frameworks and guidelines were developed during the last four decades. 

  • The Five Bases of Power

    The Five Bases of Power

    In this study of power, Raven identified five bases of power as coercive, reward, legitimate, referent, and expert. The 5 Types of Power can help you decide when it is appropriate to use a particular type of power in important situations. Leadership involves authority and it is very important for leaders to understand what type of power they're using.

  • Modern Approaches to Management

    Modern Approaches to Management

    The modern approaches to management look at organizational management in the current context. They take a holistic approach and look at organizations as a collection of interrelated parts influenced by both internal dynamics and also the larger external environment. These modern management theories have played a significant role in the evolution of management studies.

  • Types of Power in Leadership

    Types of Power in Leadership

    Power is the ability to exercise influence or control over others. Leadership involves authority and it is very important for leaders to understand what type of power they're using. The 5 Types of Power in Leadership are Coercive power, expert power, legitimate power, referent power, and reward power. Authority is the right to command and extract obedience from others. It comes from the organization and it allows the leader to use power.

  • Qualities of Leadership

    Qualities of Leadership

    The ten most important qualities that define a good leader are self-awareness, interpersonal and communication skills, ethical values, organizational consciousness, self-confidence, adaptability and flexibility, imagination and creativity, focus & result-orientation, continuous self-development and accountability and ownership for his actions. These ten qualities of leadership every good leader should possess to a certain extent and must continually strive to develop them.

  • Assess Your Career Values

    Assess Your Career Values

    The best career choices are ones that match your values. Each person has several values that are important to him. These values are highly personal and knowing them provides a clearer sense of what's most important to you in your life and career. Career values are the beliefs you consider important from a work standpoint. Values help you understand what you want from a job? Explore a few examples of work values that can influence career path and job satisfaction.

  • Eight Types of Teams

    Eight Types of Teams

    Many different types of teams have been identified by social scientists. Managers may encounter the diverse types of challenges while managing different kinds of teams. Challenges associated with Cross-Functional Teams might be different from that of a Geographically Dispersed Team or a Virtual Team. This article explores some common categories and subtypes of teams. 

  • Thinking & Problem Solving Skills

    Thinking & Problem Solving Skills

    Today's dynamic business world demands that you make decisions that significantly boost productivity and drive competitive advantage. But how do you know whether a decision will benefit the organization? And how do you know that the decisions are based on rational and statistical reasoning?  Explore how to become a dynamic problem solver with the skills to make accurate decisions.

Explore Our Free Training Articles or
Sign Up to Start With Our eLearning Courses

Subscribe to Our Newsletter


© 2023 TechnoFunc, All Rights Reserved